Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Sony bringing cult TV series 'Manimal' to the big screen

Anything can be the source for a film, even a show that lasted only eight episodes back in 1983. Manimal was cheesy back then and it is poised to be just as cheesy now, but comedian Will Ferrell and his frequent collaborator Adam McKay are going to bring it to the big screen.

Manimal aired on NBC back in 1983 and was cancelled after just eight episodes aired. Simon MacCorkindale starred as a wealthy vigilante, but he didn’t dress up like an animal. He became an animal, learning secrets no one else has discovered from Africa. That sounds like pure cheese, but McKay and Ferrell are working with Sony Pictures Animation to revive Manimal.

“I think it’s right down our alley, it’s what we do,” McKay told Deadline. “It’s tongue-in-cheek and has an action component, but overall it’s a comedy.”

McKay and Ferrell’s Gary Sanchez will produce with Jimmy Miller’s Mosaic. The trio are currently looking for a director. Jay Martel and Ian Roberts, who work on Comedy Central’s Key & Peele are writing the script.

Manimal won’t be the first TV property McKay and Ferrell will bring to theaters. As Entertainment Weekly points out, they did translate Land of the Lost to the big screen in 2009. Considering that movie was one of Ferrell’s worst flops, that sets the bar very low.

Ferrell and McKay most recently worked together on Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.